Celebrity chefs slammed for cooking up ‘fat-filled’ recipes

Their dishes may taste divine, but a new report has claimed that celebrity chefs such as Nigella Lawson and Gordon Ramsay are cooking up a recipe for heart disease, diabetes and obesity.

A panel of dietary experts who assessed some of the most popular celebrity cookbooks criticized the chefs for serving up dishes high in saturated fat.

From analyses, judges found that many contained recipes with more than 100 per cent of the recommended daily amount of saturated fat in a single serving.

The study, carried out by The Fat Panel, an independent group of experts in areas such as nutrition, public health and pharmacy, found that the sticky toffee pudding by Gordon Ramsay accounted for 115 per cent.

The report said that while the dishes would be acceptable if they were consumed occasionally or as a treat, few people realized the potential health risks of eating such meals on daily basis.

The report suggested that making simple changes to the recipes could make a dramatic difference to their saturated fat content without affecting the flavour.

“Having a celeb chef treat is one thing, but eating these dishes as they stand regularly could bump up your saturated fat intake considerably. Many chefs are making headway in creating healthier dishes, but there is still some way to go. On average, we are each eating 20 per cent too much saturated fat,” The Telegraph quoted Sian Porter, a registered dietitian on The Fat Panel, as saying.

“Simple steps to cut down on the amount of saturated fat, such as adapting recipes by swapping less healthy ingredients and using healthier cooking methods, could potentially save thousands of lives and years of living with heart disease,” the expert added.